Shloka 216

Devanagari script

सायकानां चतुःषष्ट्या क्षिप्रकारी महायशा: । तब शीघ्रता करनेवाले महायशस्वी भीमसेनने भी हँसकर चौंसठ बाणोंद्वारा रणभूमिमें कर्णपर आक्रमण किया

Transliteration

sāyakānāṁ catuḥṣaṣṭyā kṣiprakārī mahāyaśāḥ | tato bhīmaseno 'pi hasan catuḥṣaṣṭibhir bāṇair raṇabhūmau karṇam abhyākrāmat ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: The swift-acting, greatly renowned Bhīmasena then, smiling, assailed Karṇa on the battlefield with sixty-four arrows. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of war—where prowess and resolve are displayed through measured, skillful force rather than mere rage.

Word by Word

• सायकानाम्: of arrows
• सायकानाम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• चतुःषष्ट्या: with sixty-four
• चतुःषष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुःषष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• क्षिप्रकारी: swift-acting
• क्षिप्रकारी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षिप्रकारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महायशाः: highly renowned
• महायशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महायशस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Karṇa
• arrows (sāyakāḥ/bāṇāḥ)
• battlefield (raṇabhūmi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In the Mahābhārata’s war narrative, ethical emphasis often lies in disciplined kṣatriya conduct: courage, skill, and steadfastness under pressure. Bhīma’s composed, even smiling assault suggests controlled resolve—valor expressed through mastery rather than uncontrolled fury.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, famed for swift action, advances against Karṇa and strikes/assails him with sixty-four arrows on the battlefield, intensifying the duel-like exchanges among leading warriors.